This invention relates to lasers and, more particularly, the invention is concerned with providing a stirred reactor flow laser having a high degree of uniformity of the flowing gases both in chemical composition and thermodynamic state.
A problem of paramount interest in all lasers in which the active lasing medium is continuously flowed past the cavity mirrors is to provide a uniform distribution of lasing molecules, gas pressure, temperature, density and refactive index. A very common problem in lasers which employ nozzles or other flow dividers just upstream of the cavity is due to the finite thickness of the nozzle exit lip or wall divider exit lip. This finite lip thickness causes a base flow recirculation immediately downstream of the lip which serves as a source of molecules, which may be partially or totally thermally equilibrated, which subsequently leave and mix with freshly created excited molecules and reduce the local laser power in the laser cavity. In supersonic flow lasers, viscous boundary layers, mismatched nozzle exit pressures, and presence of the above mentioned lips lead to shock wave generation and additional refractive index gradients. Flow lasers in which the constituent reactants cannot be premixed, may have significant non-uniformities of gas composition, temperature, pressure, density and refractive index in addition to the above.
This invention provides the means for generating a uniform distribution of lasing gas molecules, lasing molecule states, pressure, temperature, density and refractive index. The uniformity will improve long range laser beam propagation and provide a unique analytical tool for experimental and theoretical development of chemical lasers and chemical laser reactants.